The Lever Show
with Drew Fortin

Greg Barnett

Ph.D., Chief People Scientist
at Energage

Greg Barnett, PhD, is a visionary Chief People Scientist at Energage, a prominent role that reflects his extensive expertise in industrial-organizational psychology. With over two decades of experience in the field, Greg has delved into various aspects, from leadership development to employee experience and performance management. As an exceptional researcher and executive, he has keenly observed the shifting dynamics of the employer-employee relationship. Greg emphasizes the evolution from a relational to a transactional psychological contract, highlighting the importance of balancing organizational needs with employee well-being and career growth. His valuable insights shape the future of work, emphasizing the significance of personalized and self-driven education for individual development. Greg's passion for aligning people and organizations makes him a sought-after thought leader in the field, influencing positive change in the modern workplace.

Appears In Episode(s): 1, 4, 5
Interview Video: Stay tuned!

Steve Callan

Vice President of Solutions Architecture at SilverTech, Inc.

Steve Callan is a seasoned technology leader and app developer with a passion for driving business growth through innovation. With over a decade of experience as a CTO and engineering executive, he has successfully led cross-functional teams and delivered cutting-edge software solutions. Steve's expertise lies in leveraging emerging technologies to create transformative products that resonate with customers. His drive for excellence, coupled with his ability to inspire and mentor others, has earned him a reputation as a visionary leader in the tech industry. Currently, Steve continues to explore new frontiers in technology and aims to make a lasting impact on the digital landscape.

Appears In Episode(s): 4
Interview Video: Stay Tuned!

Jeff Cassidy

Chief Financial officer at Flatiron School

Jeff Cassidy is a seasoned Global CFO with 15+ years of successful business partnering in diverse industries such as EdTech, Crypto, Travel, Biotech, and financial services. He has navigated through various business structures, including Public, Venture backed, PE backed, and Family-owned businesses.

Currently serving as the CFO for Flatiron School under Carrick Capital, Jeff previously spent eight years at EF Education First, steadily climbing up the ranks until becoming the CFO of the company. Before EF, he held finance and strategy positions at notable public companies like GE, Vertex Pharmaceuticals, and Panera Bread.

In the early stages of his career, Jeff embraced entrepreneurship, co-founding CampusLIVE, later acquired as Dailybreak, a social engagement platform that raised over $10M from venture capital firms like Highland Capital Partners and Charles River Ventures. His accomplishments earned him recognition as one of BusinessWeek's "Top 25 Entrepreneurs Under 25" and an "Emerging Entrepreneur" honored by Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick and the Office of Business Development.

Outside the business realm, Jeff remains an avid hockey player, cyclist, and aspiring triathlete. He resides near Boston with his wife and two daughters, cherishing time spent with extended family and friends.

Appears in Episode(s): 6

Interview Video: Stay tuned! 

Shuo Chen

General Partner at IOVC and Faculty at UC Berkeley College of Engineering and Singularity University

Shuo Chen is a General Partner at IOVC, where she has invested in 60-plus seed-stage startups focused on the future of work. She is also on the faculty of UC Berkeley College of Engineering and Singularity University, where she has taught and mentored hundreds of students since 2010. Chen's investments have been acquired by companies from Goldman Sachs to Instacart, and she's helped close deals with the likes of Amazon and NASA. She serves as one of 13 voting members on California's Mental Health Commission, and has served as Chair of the Board of Decode, an innovation community co-hosted with UC Berkeley and Stanford. Chen previously worked at Goldman Sachs and PwC, and co-authored a book on financial regulations in 2019. Chen was recognized as Forbes 30 under 30 in the Venture Capital category in 2022.

Appears in Episode(s): 3, 4, and 5
Interview Video: Stay Tuned!

Lory Costew

Retired Chief of Diversity and Head of HR of Autonomous Vehicles Unit at Ford Motor Company

Lori Costew is the recently retired chief diversity officer and director of people strategy at Ford Motor Company. Her portfolio focuses on the company’s diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) strategy. She assumed this role in June 2019 to cultivate a culture of belonging and advance the organization’s mission and business objectives. Costew also ensures Ford’s talent strategy supports corporate goals and transformation efforts.

Previously, Costew held positions within Ford leading human resources for the organization’s mobility division, as well as The Lincoln Motor Company. Costew joined Ford in 1993 and for nearly three decades has worked in positions supporting marketing, UAW negotiations, equal employment planning and organizational development. Costew is also the author of two award-winning novels that provide inspiration and tools against bullying for children. Her first book is “Sherpa’s Adventure: Saving the Future” and the sequel is, “Sherpa’s Adventure: Destroying the Hologram.”

Costew has a master’s degree in human resources from The Ohio State University and a certification in executive coaching from the Hudson Institute. Born a Buckeye, she lives in Northville, Michigan with her husband and two children. She joins i3 to discuss the importance of belonging and inclusion.

Appears in Episode(s): 4

Interview Video: Stay Tuned! 

Avi Goldfarb

Rotman Chair in Artificial Intelligence at the Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto

Avi Goldfarb is the Rotman Chair in Artificial Intelligence and Healthcare and a professor of marketing at the Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto. Avi is the Chief Data Scientist at the Creative Destruction Lab, a faculty affiliate at the Vector Institute and the Schwartz-Reisman Institute for Technology and Society, and a Research Associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research. Avi is also a scientific leadership team member at Acceleration Consortium. Avi’s research focuses on the opportunities and challenges of the digital economy.

Along with Ajay Agrawal and Joshua Gans, Avi is the author of the bestselling books Prediction Machines: The Simple Economics of Artificial Intelligence and Power and Prediction: The Disruptive Economics of Artificial Intelligence.

He has published academic articles in marketing, statistics, law, management, medicine, political science, refugee studies, physics, computing, and economics. Avi is a former Senior Editor at Marketing Science. His work on online advertising won the INFORMS Society of Marketing Science Long Term Impact Award. He testified before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee on competition and privacy in digital advertising. His work has been referenced in White House reports, European Commission documents, the New York Times, the Economist, and elsewhere.

Appears in Episode(s): 3 and 4

Interview Video: Stay tuned!

Emily Harburg

Ph.D., Co-Founder & CEO at PairUp

Dr. Emily Harburg is the CEO and co-founder of PairUp, a B2B SaaS platform that connects and supports staff across organizations through a research-backed pairing algorithm. With a background in industry, startups, and academia, she has worked at companies like Walt Disney Imagineering, Facebook (Meta), and EF Education First. Emily is also actively involved in social impact initiatives, co-founding organizations like Brave Initiatives and Youth Lead the Change. Her academic research focuses on the intersection of technology and social behavior, exploring the role of technology in building self-efficacy and confidence. Emily holds a B.A. in Social Anthropology and Psychology from Harvard College and a Ph.D. in Technology and Social Behavior from Northwestern University. In her free time, she enjoys outdoor activities, photography, sports, and engaging in Thoughtlucks.

Appears in Episode(s): 6

Interview Video: Stay tuned!

Cory Hymel

Vice President of Product & Research at Gigster

Cory Hymel leads all things Web3 as the Vice President of Product & Research at Gigster, a company dedicated to helping businesses develop software applications with the speed of a startup, coupled with the quality and expertise of the most innovative global talent. Cory also manages academic partnerships to help further research into distributed teams and the future of work. Cory’s career started with providing enterprise strategy to large enterprises in the early days of the iPhone. He then moved into hardware development to help bring innovative IoT platforms to market.

Appears in Episode(s): 3, 4, and 5

Interview Article & Video

Meghan Keaney Anderson

Vice President of Marketing at Jasper

Meghan Keaney Anderson is a writer and marketing executive with twenty years of experience at the intersection of brand, product marketing and demand generation. She currently runs Marketing for Jasper, an AI platform that helps companies create on-brand AI content anywhere. Prior to Jasper, Meghan was in executive marketing roles at HubSpot and The Wanderlust Group. She helped HubSpot grow from a start-up to a publicly traded global company over the course of 10 years. Outside of work, Meghan serves on the board of directors of FamilyAid, an organization working to prevent homelessness for thousands of families in Boston. She's been known to be bribed for marketing consulting in exchange for a donation to their important work.

Appears in Episode(s): 2,3,5, and 6

Interview Video: Stay tuned!

Deborah Kurtz

Vice President at HireMinds

Deborah Kurtz is a seasoned professional with a strong background in talent acquisition and human resources. As the Vice President of HireMinds, a leading recruiting firm, she excels in helping organizations build effective, agile, and skilled workforces. With her expertise in guiding career development and employee education, Deborah advocates for empowering individuals to take charge of their learning journey. Her focus on self-driven growth aligns with the changing landscape of the employer-employee relationship, recognizing the value of flexibility and diverse skill sets. Deborah's forward-thinking approach has earned her a reputation as a trusted advisor in navigating the dynamic world of modern work.

Appears in Episode(s): 1 and 6

Interview Video: Stay Tuned!

Jenny Larios Berlin

Entrepreneur in Residence at the Martin Trust and a Lecturer at MIT Sloan

Jenny Larios Berlin is an accomplished entrepreneur and an Entrepreneur in Residence at the Martin Trust while also serving as a Lecturer at MIT Sloan. As the co-founder and Chief Operations Officer of Optimus Ride, an MIT spinout, she led the mission to provide safe and sustainable autonomous mobility solutions within geofenced communities through shared and electric vehicle fleets. Under her leadership, Optimus Ride expanded its operations across several states, raising over $75M in venture capital and garnering media recognition, including features in the New York Times. Jenny's diverse background includes co-founding and advising limeSHIFT, another MIT spinout, a socially-driven creative agency at the intersection of business, community, and art.

With a deep-rooted background in car-sharing technology, Jenny previously held key operational roles at Zipcar, Flexcar, and Hertz, where she played a vital role in scaling the university campus program and managing service operations worldwide. Her academic achievements include a bachelor's degree from the University of Maryland, College Park, and two master's degrees—an MBA from MIT Sloan and a master's in City Planning from the MIT School of Architecture and Planning. Jenny's passion lies in creating businesses that enhance people's lives by incorporating cutting-edge technologies and public-private partnerships. She is committed to making a positive impact on how individuals interact with themselves and the world, and she looks forward to contributing her expertise at the Trust Center.

Appears in Episode(s): 1 and 4

Interview Video: Stay tuned!

John Markoff

HAI Research Affiliate at Stanford Institute and Retired Tech Journalist at The New York Times

John Markoff is a HAI Affiliate and research affiliate at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences (CASBS), where he focuses on projects related to the future of work and artificial intelligence. With a rich background in journalism, he previously served as a reporter at The New York Times, specializing in technology and computer-related topics. He was awarded a Pulitzer Prize in explanatory reporting as part of a New York Times project on labor and automation. Markoff is also a published author, co-writing several books on technology and its impact on society, including "Cyberpunk: Outlaws and Hackers on the Computer Frontier" and "Machines of Loving Grace: The Quest for Common Ground Between Humans and Robots." He holds a masters degree in sociology from the University of Oregon and graduated from Whitman College in Washington.

Appears in Episode(s): 2 and 3

Interview Video: Stay tuned!

Vivek Mehta

CEO at Weeve.ai

Vivek Mehta is a visionary leader and innovator in the field of AI-powered employee engagement software. As the CEO of Weeve, a groundbreaking company focused on eliminating workforce burnout in hospitals, Vivek is on a mission to build strong employee-leader relationships at scale. With a background in engineering and a passion for leveraging technology to drive positive change, Vivek's work is transforming the way organizations approach employee retention and well-being.

With a deep understanding of the power of decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs), Vivek is at the forefront of exploring how Web3 technologies can revolutionize the future of work. His expertise lies in utilizing AI and machine learning to optimize processes, facilitate data-driven decision-making, and enhance the overall employee experience.

Through Weeve, Vivek is empowering hospitals to create more meaningful connections with their staff, foster a culture of collaboration and support, and drive lasting improvements in employee satisfaction. As an influential thought leader in the space, Vivek continues to pave the way for the intersection of technology and human-centric approaches to transform the modern workplace.

Appears in Episode(s): 3, 4, and 6

Interview Video: Stay tuned!

Carol Myers

General Partner at Glasswing Ventures

Carol Meyers is General Partner at Glasswing Ventures,a venture capital firm focused on AI and frontier technologies. Carol is a highly accomplished sales and marketing executive with extensive experience in technology sectors, including cybersecurity, SaaS applications, consumer technology, and automation. She has played key roles in several successful IPOs, leading companies to significant revenue growth and successful acquisitions. Meyers is known for her ability to craft winning growth strategies, attract top talent, and build strong brands and corporate cultures. Her expertise spans from selling annual subscription services to individuals and small businesses to marketing multimillion-dollar technology products to global enterprises. She serves on the board of directors and advisory boards for several high-growth companies, including Zipwhip and Emarsys, and has been recognized as a prominent speaker at various conferences and quoted in influential books on marketing strategy and product roadmaps.

Appears in Episode(s): 2, 5, and 6

Interview Video: Stay tuned!

Charlie Olson

Co-founder & CEO at Pando

Charlie Olson is the co-founder and CEO of Pando. Pando was founded after Charlie and his co-founder, Eric Lax, graduated from Stanford's Graduate School of Business in 2017. Since inception, Pando has signed hundreds of professional athletes and entrepreneurs into income pools and has raised a Series A from top fintech investors. Prior to his time at Stanford, Charlie worked with Bob Grady at Cheyenne Capital, a private equity firm based out of Jackson, WY. Concurrently, Charlie worked in search fund investing for Professor David Dodson and was a speechwriter and policy analyst for two governors. Charlie also holds two other degrees from Stanford, including a B.A. in International Relations and an M.A. in US History. Charlie was named to Forbes’ 30 Under 30.

Appears in Episode(s): 5

Interview Video: Stay tuned!

Adam Ozimek

Ph.D., Chief Economist at Economic Innovation Group

Dr. Adam Ozimek is Chief Economist at EIG, where he serves on the executive team and spearheads a growing body of research initiatives for the organization. Previously, he was the Chief Economist at Upwork, the world’s largest online freelancing platform, and senior economist at Moody’s Analytics, where he managed U.S. demographics forecasts and research. Ozimek’s research includes a broad array of economics fields including labor markets, demographics, and remote work. His research has been cited in publications including the New York Times, Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal. Ozimek holds a PhD in Economics from Temple University.

Appears in Episode(s): 2 and 5

Interview Video: Stay tuned!

Meg Patel

Ed.D., Head of Professional Services at Lever Talent, Inc.

Meg is a client-focused leader with over 20 years of learning and development experience. Prior to Lever Talent, she served as a strategic talent advisor across retail, technology, food service, wellness, and healthcare. Meg leverages her enthusiasm and drive to help clients win by reaching their strategic destinies. She is an executive coach and “talent concierge,” helping leaders find and leverage their true potential.

Appears in Episode(s): 6

Interview Video: Stay tuned!

Fady Saad

General Partner at Cybernetix Ventures and Co-Founder of MassRobotics

Fady Saad is a General Partner of Cybernetix Ventures, a robotics venture capital firm. He is also the Co-founder of MassRobotics; the first and largest robotics & AI startup escalator in the world. Fady led the multi-million dollar fundraising for the organization and architected MassRobotics’ corporate partnership program and business model. Fady supported & advised multiple startups and introduced them to 150+ VCs in the US & globally.

Early in his career, Fady was a Regional Manager of Nokia Siemens Networks in North Africa and Europe where he led and managed multimillion-euro acquisitions and bids. He was also part of the team that led the merger between Siemens Com and Nokia Networks in North Africa for 700+ employees.

Fady holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering from the American University in Cairo and a MS in Engineering, Systems Design, and Management from MIT.

Appears in Episode(s): 2 and 5

Interview Video: Stay tuned!

Joyce Sidopolous

Co-founder & Chief of Operations at MassRobotics

Joyce Sidopoulos is Co-Founder and Chief of Operations at MassRobotics, an innovation hub, collaborative workspace, and laboratory for robotics startups whose mission is to enable and grow the next generation of robotics companies. In her role, she works on initiatives to expand the breadth and depth of the robotics ecosystem and develops high-impact programs, highlighting startup technology, matching startups with funders and customers, engaging with robotics adoption, connecting talent to employers, and working with academia to commercialize research. Sidopoulos is also a mentor and judge at accelerator and university entrepreneurship programs. Prior experience includes 14 years of civil service with the USN’s Naval Undersea Warfare Center as Chief Scientist for Acoustic Prediction Systems, Systems & Test Engineer, and Sonar Systems Analyst. Sidopoulos also held senior BizDev and Engineering & Technical Resource Manager roles at General Dynamics and defense contractors. She holds a BS in Electrical Engineering from Cornell University.

Appears in Episode(s): 2, 3, and 5

Interview Video

Bledi Taska

Ph.D., Chief Economist at Lightcast

Bledi Taska is a prominent labor economist and a leading authority on the future of work. As the Executive Vice President and Chief Economist at Lightcast, he oversees the development and delivery of cutting-edge labor market data and analytics that help businesses, governments, and individuals navigate the rapidly evolving world of work.

At Lightcast he leads a team of world-class economists and data scientists who leverage state-of-the-art artificial intelligence and machine learning to analyze real-time labor market data. His team delivers actionable insights on the most pressing issues facing the global workforce, such as the impact of AI and automation, the future of work and education, reskilling and upskilling strategies, and workforce planning.

He has also been a trusted advisor to various international organizations such as the World Bank, the OECD, the European Commission, the World Economic Forum, and UNESCO on topics related to skills development, education reform, and labor market policies. He is frequently invited to speak at global conferences and events on the trends and challenges facing the future of work. Bledi’s work at Lightcast has received global media attention from outlets such as the Economist, the Daily Telegraph, the Financial Times, the New York Times, and the Wall Street Journal.

Bledi holds a Ph.D. in Economics from New York University and a BA and MA in Economics from the University of Athens, Greece. He has published several peer-reviewed articles in top-tier academic journals, such as the American Economic Review, Research Policy, and Labour Economics.

Appears in Episode(s): 4 and 6

Interview Video: Stay tuned!

William Tincup

HR Tech Investor, Advisor, and Founder of RecruiterDaily.com

William Tincup is the President & Editor-at-Large of RecruitingDaily. At the intersection of HR and technology, he’s a writer, speaker, advisor, consultant, investor, storyteller & teacher. He's been writing about HR and Recruiting related issues for longer than he cares to disclose. William serves on the Board of Advisors / Board of Directors for 20+ HR technology startups. William is a graduate of the University of Alabama at Birmingham with a BA in Art History. He also earned an MA in American Indian Studies from the University of Arizona and an MBA from Case Western Reserve University.

Appears in Episode(s): 4 and 6

Interview Video: Stay tuned!

Shermin Voshmgir

Founder of Token Kitchen and BlockchainHub Berlin

Shermin Voshmgir is a prominent figure at the intersection of technology, agriculture, art, and social science. As the author of the book "Token Economy" and the founder of Token Kitchen and BlockchainHub Berlin, Shermin's expertise lies in making technology accessible to a non-tech audience, enabling them to actively participate in decision-making processes related to the technology they use.

In the past, Shermin served as the director of the Research Institute for Cryptoeconomics at the Vienna University of Economics, which she co-founded. Additionally, she played a significant role as a curator for the renowned TheDAO (Decentralized Investment Fund) in 2016. Currently, Shermin is engaged in a groundbreaking initiative in Portugal, where she is setting up a data-driven farm alongside her partner. The project focuses on investigating the tokenization of agricultural assets and sustainable ecosystem services, such as soil quality or CO2 capture, supported by hardware wallets and sensor technology.

Shermin's passion for Web3 and tokenized applications stems from her belief that they can fundamentally shift the dynamics of socioeconomic systems. She sees a crucial need for a thorough understanding of these technologies and their applications to facilitate the co-creation of a new collective infrastructure that empowers individuals to actively engage with and shape this transformative landscape.

Appears in Episode(s): 4 and 5

Interview Video: Stay tuned!

Liz Wilke

Ph.D., Principal Economist at Gusto

Dr. Liz Wilke is a principal economist at Gusto, where she researches the state of work and business in the modern economy. She has extensive experience in both the technology and government sectors, having directed research programs and public spending that support companies and workers across the globe. Previously, she worked at LinkedIn as the tech policy and future of work researcher, where she led the public policy team's engagement with the rest of the business on AI fairness policy and initiatives.

Before joining LinkedIn, Liz served as the director of economic analysis at the Millennium Challenge Corporation, where she led country-level economic analyses across diverse teams to design and execute investments and governance reforms programs for equitable growth in middle- and low-income countries. Throughout her career, she has built synergies among work streams and increased cross-pollination of best practices and ideas. Liz holds a Ph.D. and M.Phil from the Pardee RAND Graduate School of Public Policy and a B.A. from the University of Texas at Austin.

Appears in Episode(s): 1,3,4,5, and 6

See Liz's Full Interview

Drew Fortin

Host of The Lever with Drew Fortin

Drew Fortin is a people-first, values-driven leader with nearly 20 years of growth strategy and team-building experience across retail, marketing technology, local media, and HR tech. He spent eight years at The Predictive Index, where he was Chief Growth Officer responsible for the company's strategy to build the world's first talent optimization platform. Drew is obsessed with the shift that AI, robotics, and Web3 have on the employer-employee relationship and the good things it means for humans in the future of work. This led him to found Lever Talent and inspired him to host The Lever Show. 

Connor Lewis

Executive Producer

Connor Lewis initially embarked on a career in accounting, gaining invaluable experience at Anderson Tax, one of the country's largest accounting firms. However, his true passion lay elsewhere—in the world of filmmaking. Throughout college, he spent countless nights creating short films, refining his skills in scripting, camera work, and video editing. A self-proclaimed 'nerd,' Connor has always been captivated by films that unravel complex concepts in an accessible and human-centric manner.

In the last five years, Connor has leveraged his love for storytelling through visual media at a tech company, where he has adeptly explained intricate products, often relating to software and science, and occasionally human emotion. His crowning achievement during this tenure was the creation of a documentary for the company—a career highlight that solidified his love for this craft.

As he looks to the future, Connor aspires to create narrative ads and documentaries that resonate emotionally with audiences while maintaining his unique, engaging style.